How Spotify Stacks Up Against Other Streaming Music Services

Monthly Cost:Free for 10 hours; $4.99 web access; $9.99 apps
Catalog Count:15 million
Quality: 96-320 kbps Ogg Vorbis streaming; 320 kbps downloaded MP3
Mobile Platforms: iOS, Android
Offline: Yes
Song Check*: 12 out of 15
Rundown: A European service with a rabid overseas fan base, Spotify is expected to make waves with its American release. It's got the biggest catalog of them all, streams extraordinarily quickly and, most importantly, it's free for the first 10 hours.Spotify may not be substantially different from services that already exist in the US, but its free, ad-supported streaming have made it a huge hit in other markets, and could easily make it a success here. It's got more than 10 million users overseas, 1.6 million of which pay for a subscription. That's twice as many paid subscribers as Rhapsody, America's largest unlimited streaming service.*Song Check: To test selection, we searched for 15 of our favorite tunes, including the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Tom Waits's "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone."

Rundown: A European service with a rabid overseas fan base, Spotify is expected to make waves with its American release. It's got the biggest catalog of them all, streams extraordinarily quickly and, most importantly, it's free for the first 10 hours.

Spotify may not be substantially different from services that already exist in the US, but its free, ad-supported streaming have made it a huge hit in other markets, and could easily make it a success here. It's got more than 10 million users overseas, 1.6 million of which pay for a subscription. That's twice as many paid subscribers as Rhapsody, America's largest unlimited streaming service.

*Song Check: To test selection, we searched for 15 of our favorite tunes, including the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Tom Waits's "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone."

Rundown:Rdio is from the minds behind Skype and Kazaa. Strong iPhone and Android apps, but song selection and radio features are so-so. A vibrant blog lists music updates, and robust social networking shows what songs your friends like.